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Author Archives: Joel D. Hirst
A Novel from the African Camps
Africa captivates and captures you, but not in the way you would think. Not glistening Zanzibar beaches, storied safaris or British lodges — those exist, for sure, the same way Vale and Aspen also exist. Places people only know of … Continue reading
Girl Reading Book in a Field of Sunflowers
I think she is probably happy, content and at peace with herself. What do you think? https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst/?i=319328-49
A Simple Tale of Soviet Armenia
I think this my favorite of my novels. It is not the most elaborate, that would go to “The Unraveling.” Nor is it the best researched, that would go to “Lords of Misrule.” But my novel about Armenia, called “An … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, Liberty, Literature
Tagged Armenia, europe, politics, Travel, yerevan
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Joel D. Hirst: Select Poems and Short Stories
Back before the prose boom started, maybe with Dickens or Hugo, and which came of age perhaps during the Lost Generation, most famous writers were poets. Poe, Byron, Dickenson. Poetry is interesting. It can be grand, like Dante, in which … Continue reading
Posted in Poetry
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Don Quixote
In Yerevan, Armenia, in an antique shop full of musty tomes and dusty artifacts I found an old Soviet Don Quixote iron statuette. The Soviets loved Quixote. His fight against the oligarchs; his utopian sense of the possible; his tireless … Continue reading
“Adam and Eve” by the Afghanistan National Institute of Music
Five years ago I was involved in a pretty crazy adventure, lending a hand to a diverse group of people which included Juilliard Music School, the Estonian Intelligence Minister, the Portuguese Defense Minister, the Qatari Royal Family, and Yo Yo … Continue reading
Posted in International Affairs, Liberty
Tagged Afghanistan, books, history, news, politics
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Mi Épica Sobre La Venezuela Chavista
La revolución socialista sudamericana más significativa de nuestros tiempos, es contada desde varios puntos de vista, con humor e intimismo. El peligro de la utopía, cuando se apodera de los corazones y las mentes, termina por incendiarlo todo. Sus personajes … Continue reading
Mi novela sobre Malí, Tombuctú y los tuaregs
El jihadismo en África Occidental no es nuevo. Es un fenómeno que viene en oleadas, cada siglo o dos, desde el siglo XIV o incluso antes. Lo que antes era una conquista, ahora es una mezcla tóxica de rabia y … Continue reading
Mountain Cabin
My wife prefers the beach. But for me the sand and the heat have always been a little bit of a nuisance. I’ve always preferred the quiet of a still mountain cabin. https://www.artpal.com/joeldhirst?i=319328-42
The Unraveling — My Dystopian Novel
Nobody really reads anymore, the statistics are pretty grim. Pew Research suggested last year 40% of Americans read no book at all, 27% read up to four books and 19% — what Pew called “Heavy Readers” (no irony alas) read … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, Literature
Tagged books, Huxley, Orwell, politics, Rand, writing, Zamyatin
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Joel D. Hirst's Blog 